Toastie

Oh well - I never even came close to manage that. But as @MAB said - I was talking about supports. What I do occasionally is to roughly fit the supports and when going nuts I am trying to bridge the last microns with either plates adjusted to height/width/depth by locally sanding the wooden support - or using baseplates cut to pieces (yes, no worries, I am still alive). They have this "minimum" height for studs. Then do a "dry run" with plates attached to the LEGO structure resting on the support, and then doing a "wet run" with slowly settling 2 component super glue below the LEGO pieces resting on the support. This way, you just lose the "anchors" glued to the support when taking it apart again. Purists can use clone plates for that and still remain purists, as they just sacrificed evil stuff to the Gods of LEGO. Best, Thorsten

Actually, I believe this describes it most accurately. #Sets sold in price ranges, resolved by theme, probe the market (price-wise) = there you go. It will depend on so many things. Essentially - as far as I see it - it simply comes down to what people are willing to pay for what set/theme/in general in a country/region. I bet TLG does market analyses all over the place and tests the waters in various different countries over and over again - and that database is worth a lot. I simply don't believe in the income/captita number as price maker - after all, TLG is everything else but a charity organization. The thing is that some people buy stuff, although they barely can afford it. The product of sets sold and price is what I (in my simple mind) would look for. And then carefully maximize it. Begin with comparably low prices. Watch the numbers. Then do an increase. Watch the numbers - do it again, and again and then maybe along with a press release telling people that due to a shortage of the black color for the - as @allanp calls them - 18+ cereal boxes on Alpha Centauri - it had to be a 15% increase - and watch the numbers. Actually watch the gradient of #sets sold times price as function of many variables. And all the senseless pricing may actually begin to make sense. Well. That is what we call capitalism. So may people study business in every aspect - and thanks to Google and all the social networks running on ads and sales ... well, yes, sure. Maybe they talk to each other - who knows. Maybe you can buy a product from Google telling you a lot about - people in different countries; what they like, do ... you know, the modern "works". Here's another one: What I would do, when I would be in that power play position (TLG - The LEGO Gods) - I'd also make these apparently low level but very well-thought-out catalogs with at least 25% overpriced numbers adjusted by country, of course. And then I'd make deals with other power outlets - on Amazon, power retailers and so on, and let them reduce the price by 20% without much ado. You know, one thing that always works: I - got - a - fantastic - deal. It wasn't the 700$/€/put-your-curreny-here. It was - believe it or not ONLY 590!!! I saved 110!!! So I can buy other sets I also want so much ... FOR FREE! And I would also get many of my 25% overpriced sets sold - because some people want it from the Gods directly. Maybe they announced it as LIMITED SET - whoa. Frenzy. Oh well. Yes. Capitalism is one thing. The folks propelling it is another ... Best, Thorsten

Yes Sir - and quite the blindness My wife recently asked me, whether there was any special meaning behind sending green hearts in WhatsApp messages ... Oh man. No problem on my Windows laptop as their PowerTools have this color picker thingy - but other than that: Trial and error :D Best, Thorsten

Oh sure - as I am visiting that place regularly, I have spotted some nice non-LEGO supports as well ;) What? Maybe we should not, but in case the going gets tough (e.g., bad weather - or simply not enough money for myriads of hidden supports) I tend to spy on what The LEGO Gods do ... Best Thorsten

@Lok24 is a great help in this regard - maybe he will chip-in. Best Thorsten

That is my favorite as well. Fun fact: TLG is doing that as well in Legoland Billund, the center of the TLG Universe. They use non-LEGO plastics, wood, stainless steel, aluminum ... as supports. When they do it, we should all consider doing it Best, Thorsten

Since I originally thought this train is orange - absolutely no problems with color issues here Best, Thorsten

The latter is perfect. I have done this tens of times. You don't damage the motor at all; after cutting the tabs, you can attach the base securely without any problem. It will stick perfectly in place. Just use a really sharp blade. These work really well - you can extend the blade quite a bit to get a nice angle - and you have good control/force. Other makes will work as well: https://www.amazon.de/Stanley-werkzeugloser-Klingenwechsel-Klingenschieber-1-10-018/dp/B0044DA7IY/ref=asc_df_B0044DA7IY/?tag=googshopde-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=256186769257&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6753153843899227286&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9043889&hvtargid=pla-421247820682&psc=1&th=1&psc=1 Best, Thorsten

I am afraid that there is no other way of figuring out, what is going on. You did check the visible cables/contacts, right? Contacts may be corroded Motor may be bad PTC (the thermistor preventing overheating) may be bad Other things my have gone bad For each issue listed, opening the case and have a look/or report here how it looks, is the only way I can see. And I also believe, that there are good chances to fix it. Best Thorsten

Hi @Erik Leppen, I have no clue, but your last post makes much sense to me. I was reluctant to reply as I was assuming you had the latest MLCAD version (the hacked one ;)) Did you see this thread from back then? Best, Thorsten

Wow, this locomotive IS different from all I have seen before!!! This is a really nice "build"!!! I love it. Is there meant to be a touch of steam punk - not to the extent of clearly showing, but to the extent of clearly be there? Location of cylinders: Cool. Wheelset: Super cool. Overall appearance: Crazy cool. This is a true MOC with so many things flowing in. It is meant to be a display model, right? Absolutely nothing wrong with that - I am mostly reluctant to put things without a/many function/s on a shelf - but I absolutely would place this beauty there - because it resembles LEGO to the very best. Congratulations!!! All the best, Thorsten

Heehee - oh yes. But I believe it should be MOC's not mocks? MOC very(!!!) nicely done, but imagine this on a black box, 18+, IDEAS, with a sound chip, and a button saying "try me" ... and then it goes off ... When they pick this one, I'll tip my hat, with a slight bow. And smile, saying: You guys know, don't you? Best, Thorsten

Absolutely!!! - But also go to their "official" website. Where their CXOs (X = random letter ;)) lay out the true history and philosophy of the company. It is not even a disparity - it is a >very< clever pitch. They are smart - otherwise, the sales numbers were different ;) Best, Thorsten

It is really, really nice to read about the experiences from experienced - and very nice and polite - people. As almost always on EB. Thank you all very much (again) And there is no doubt - none - that the quality and intensity of joy when MOCing is not any different from the joy of displaying, after building by exactly following instructions. It just depends on your personal perspective ("what I want"), your personal situation (the "how much" limitation) and many more - personal - factors. I was more looking into what TLG is (actively, with some effort) trying to "transport" - the brick with sheer endless combinations of attaching them = creativity and the interpretation of the result; e.g. three bricks stacked with some offset throwing a shadow of a dinosaur. Look at the current catalog, their "what we do and why" shiny internet pages (of the company, not shop@home ;) But they never really talk about the "build once and put on a shelf" with any comparable impetus and motivation as they do regarding "create" activities. My unpopular opinion was absolutely not addressed at individuals or individual interpretations of how to use or love the brick, it was more on how TLG "transports" the idea of the brick - "officially" via ads and promotions and "implicitly" via ... sales numbers ;) All the best, Thorsten

Well, maybe from a today's perspective. I had that set (essentially I still do have it - the pieces that is) - it was a wonderful set to built - and after so time to get a very good number of parts of a) the same color - try that today - and b) of pieces that can be used essentially in every other MOC, where you need red and black parts. And yes, simply because the range of parts was not even close to what we have today. So I'd rather question your last conclusion above - from my perspective: I am beaming myself back to that time; at that time also similar die-cast models were available. Displaying - at least as far I can tell, I grew up in Northern Germany, so what do I know - has become a matter of "modern" LEGO, where the displaying is catching on a lot more, because these models actually resemble the original to a much higher degree. I never "displayed" (in the modern sense, in a glass cabinet etc. as these models shall not catch on any dust) any of my LEGO models back then other than "parking" them somewhere on a shelf or the floor - for me, it did not make sense, as the degree of abstraction and imagination, along with the availability of very detailed other models - was too much for my peers. Yes, I can do that for my own pleasure, I know. But when I had these plates and pieces in my hands, in black and red - guess "what - just - popped in there?" (No, not Mr. Stay Puft ): A German train. As I was dreaming of 727 and with these pieces came a long way ... OK, with some imagination as well ;) as there was no money at all for getting into the 12V train system. But I could dream of that bolstered by a would be "copy" of 727 in my hands. Which, after some time, simply dissolved into something else. Again, I am using "me", "my" here. No generalizations at all. Best, Thorsten

I am referring solely to me. It is my very personal view, that I am voicing, nothing else. Since I turned 10 50 years ago, I am visiting Billund on a more or less regular schedule - not because I am a LEGO freak, but because we are on family vacation almost every other year on a Danish island close by. Initially with my parents, then with my parents in law, my wife, my family. I was in love with the product for more than 3/4 of my life. And this has changed a bit in the last 1/4. This place (not Billund, but the "LEGOLAND" located there) is advertising over and over again: Be creative, create, make a change, change, imagine, care ... and leg godt. In nicely colored letters everywhere you look. Which is really nice, as it really has a touch - and touches - and it is done professionally, no doubt. "Create" is the word used the most. Creativity as runner-up. I actually tried to count them. Restrooms included, no joke. So from that single point observation, repeated tens of times, I came to my very personal take voiced here, in the unpopular opinions thread, without >any< generalization implied. It thus appears to me that TLG is at least promoting the create idea and implicitly connects that with play well. @MAB Yes, over time it has occurred to me that every single verb, be it play, create, and everything else, is subject to the interpretation of the 7.753 billion people currently living on planet earth. There seems to be a slight bias "imposed" though, as TLG is - again: in my very personal view - trying to "direct" that interpretation into a certain - well - direction. This is not about how I/we see it. That is up to us. It is a pure speculation about what they >may< want us to believe; one speculation out of 7.753 billion others. Although I doubt that even only a tiny fraction of these 7.753 billion people know about plastic bricks being somehow important. Best, Thorsten

Oh so true. Did you catch the ";)" ? Everything I am saying here is in my humble opinion. I don't know anything about right or wrong - as you don't. Reductive or not, your assessment. Over-interpretation is another - all fine we me. Sure. I am just comparing, by visual inspection and actual experience, what one can do with tiles of any kind vs a green/gray/whatever color 16x16 studded plate. It requires a some degree of imagination to see some sort of texture in such a surface - which is maybe one "idea" of LEGO: Interpretation and imagination. Also perfectly fine with me. Best, Thorsten

I do share @Lyichir's assessment. Just visit the Technic forum, any introduction of any new Technic flagship. They not only criticize it, they simply sink it. There is a model number, a second later there is a corresponding "improvement thread/threat" - with quite some bold statements. And when I count the number of folks tearing it apart, I usually end up in the low 20s. Do you believe, this makes a difference to TLG? 20? No. I believe, from all what TLG is doing nowadays, it is sales, sales, sales, and more importantly, profit. The return of investment number. See, the TLG designers are not blind. They do see the gap, for sure. They know how to fill it - beautifully. But: The money folks tell them: Just cut the number of bricks. And then "hand it over" to us. We feel so smart and advanced, when we figured out, how to fill that gap - and thus live the LEGO way. We are better than they ... No, I believe, there is a plan behind leaving a gap. But the plan does not affect sales. And the folks in charge of running the profit margins look at profit margins. They also do that regularly with not-tiling any floor in any building (OK, not true, but on average) - they want you to do get extra tiles. Applicable only to those, who care about flooring ;) Best Thorsten

Hmmm. I am a bit confused. The design of "the brick" was not from LEGO (as there was no TLG back then), as we have all learned the hard way - they stole it. And that happens all day. No reason to freak out. To me, LEGO is not the brick, it is an idea. And that idea changed over time and certainly should do so, as the environment changes even faster. "The brick" is naturally a tech thing. No ABS invented yet, no "the brick". It is as if one would judge travel by air before any airplane was invented - and then judge air travel before even planes were invented as "uninteresting" or even not being air travel at all. Now, the "idea" behind legt god is another thing, as far as I sense it. We can begin to argue who had which technology and what idea - it will remain elusive. I was not there when this started, nor do I know what they drank and smoked back then. Nevertheless, LEGO started as legt god. Wooden ducks or not. There were no such things available to many before LEGO. The "world" was recovering from repeated wars. But: I personally take the 12V train system as clear indication that there was more than "the brick" or "making money". There was an idea. Which has since then - ever faded. Into a company ever-changing. Currently, in my recognition, they lose the original idea. Which is - well - just that. So what. Best, Thorsten

@Lok24 Thank you very much, Werner, highly appreciated! Need to write that down somewhere. Also thank you for that software limiter, had no clue. Good to know. Do you happen to know when that kicks in? Best, Thorsten

This is a wonderful - picture (not a photograph, it is a picture, expressing so much!) Thank you very much! I love it. In my case, I can't use dolphins or the like, I have to play the "I need this for mental stability" vinyl - not too often though; it gets worn down rather easily. No one here is into LEGO (other than sharing my happiness - and questionable mental stability apparently stabilized by plastic bricks :D - I also do repair washing machines and clean shower drains in this household without whining, which I believe somehow restores the quality of the vinyl ...) I really like this picture - almost drawing, I'd say. It actually could be a LEGO set: "This is to feel good" Best wishes, Thorsten

That is true! But: The motors will >draw< current (you can't >increase< the current by choice, in contrast to voltage, you just can >limit< the current) depending on their demand. Lowest current drawn is when they run without load (other than their own demand to spin the rotor). When you increase their load = adding mechanical resistance to their free spinning resistance, they'll draw more current. When the supply is capable of supplying more current, that a "fully loaded" motor draws (which is simply the resistive limit of all current going through the coil and dissipates as heat, as no magnetic field is altered anymore and all the beautiful Maxwell equations are also not useful anymore ;)), the motor usually simply burns out after some time. When the two motors are not stalled, but run with some "decent" load, and the power source is capable of delivering that current, the you really gain performance or tractive power. As one example: The PF receiver, particularly the V2 type, can easily burn out 2 PF train motors, as the current that thing can drive is more than a stalled motor draws. And all that is limited by the maximum current delivered by the battery/power supply. I run my trains on a primary 15V 10A power supply, which is regulated to 9V, 1A max on each train, which is feeding the PUp/PF/RCX controllers residing on each train. And they drive the motors. Train motor are not that demanding, so I run 2 of these off from one PF receiver output. I don't recall the (max.) current limitation on the PUp >outputs<, but as said, somebody wrote in this forum what type of drivers, presumable H-bridge types, the PUp hubs use.

As @XG BC said, DC motors suck-up juice as they see fit (depending on load exerted and rpm you want) - Philos motor page is a wonderful reference for that: https://www.philohome.com/motors/motorcomp.htm . PUp train motor is listed as well and someone here knows what the PUp output driver can deliver, I can't remember where that information is hiding ... That is true. I had the impression though that even at low PWM settings, the LEDs almost reach "full" brightness - which is in stark contrast to the 9V incandescent lights - they pretty much give a close light intensity vs PWM setting response (well, of course they do). Best Thorsten

I was waiting for just that: That someone names the colors - thank you, @LEGO Train 12 Volts!!! ... I recently seriously screwed up on the new passenger train and @Aanchir (very politely!) told me I was off a bit ;) So now I am confident to write something ... I mean, when looking at the gray-scale photographs it is such a nice, powerful and elegant locomotive. I never imagined that these were so vividly colored ... simply beautiful. But that is only one aspect, which you captured so brilliantly. But ... negotiating R40's - this is crazy! What a totally cool solution for the pilot truck!!! And so many other things. Wow. And when she is on all straight rails - no one would ever anticipate what happens in tight curves ... And lastly: Let's assume that orange is some lame substitute for gold - then this beauty is colored in the colors of the German flag - which is of >no< meaning to me at all, and even less so this very day - I am more into the blue of the EU - with these stars sparkling . Congratulations (I believe for the x-times by now) - the folks attending the show will be - to the least - fascinated. All the best and good luck, Thorsten

I absolutely agree. And my point was: >Without doing any programming<, but using an app provided by TLG. For first time users, as this is what TLG is clearly targeting. New Now I am lost. Forgive me, but I am not using TLGs prefab programs. I did some very basic "programming" using the PUp App - and then left that alone. OK, step by step. First things first: Are you talking about the programming mode in the PUp App? I believe so. Lets assume that. I did not know there were any channels when using PUp, which is async. BLE. This sounds like PF, where we have 4 "channels". Is that so? Now, there is my hub. How do I select the channel, I want to use for that hub? Is that in the PUp App in programming mode? User written program again refers to the programming mode in the PUp App, correct? If so, of course, a user-written program allows all. I believe, I missed something. My point really is: If TLG wants to push the PUp system for their targeted customers (first timers) than exactly PUp could take care of so many issues - because, as you said - the system allows that. Programming gurus will readily do it - but those folks are maybe not of the type "I buy 2 sets, because it looks right to do so". And my question is: Do they really do that? Or is PUp for "them" (the folks in charge, i.e. accounting and marketing) - just another "remote + receiver" thing? Which it is absolutely not? Best, Thorsten